Associations between Cannabis Use, GPA, and Stress Levels Among College Students

College students use a variety of strategies to manage their stress. Research suggests that the way individuals perceive their ability to cope effectively determines the strategy employed. Recent evidence on trends among college students suggests a rise in risky behaviors, such as increased cannabis use, being used as a potential coping mechanism. The rising frequency of cannabis use has been linked to a decline in mental judgment, particularly in cognitive adaptability and impulse control, which are crucial for college students. While the effects of cannabis on mental health have been addressed, the broader implications of its use, particularly with stress and academic performance, remain unclear. This study hypothesizes that there is a direct relationship between cannabis use, GPA, and perceived stress levels among college students. This cross-sectional study used an anonymous survey that was distributed online via social media platforms using Google Forms. A total of 849 responses were collected from undergraduate college students across different universities. The survey included self-reported data on cannabis usage, age, GPA, and perceived stress levels. The validated Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) was used to assess perceived stress, and the substance abuse and choices scale (SACS) was used to assess cannabis use. Data was analyzed in SPSS, Version 28.0, using Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient. The results suggest that frequent cannabis use was negatively associated with GPA (p<0.01). Additionally, frequent cannabis use positively correlated with perceived stress levels (p<0.01), such as feeling unable to control the important things in life and feeling that difficulties were piling up too high to overcome. Finally, perceived stress levels were negatively associated with GPA (p<0.01). Our results suggest a possible cyclic relationship between high-frequency cannabis usage, lower GPA, and higher perceived stress levels. Abbreviations: GPA: grade point average. This abstract was presented at the American Physiology Summit 2025 and is only available in HTML format. There is no downloadable file or PDF version. The Physiology editorial board was not involved in the peer review process.